The increasing market demand for structural applications of polymeric systems has dramatically heightened the importance of impact resistant and scratch resistant polymeric systems. For example, the automotive industry utilizes polymeric systems in the fabrication of automobile bumpers and fenders, which require both high impact resistance and high scratch resistance. Improving the impact resistance of a polymeric system, however, generally reduces the scratch resistance. Moreover, improving the scratch resistance generally reduces impact resistance. Known methods have been unsuccessful in improving both the impact and scratch resistance of polymeric systems.
Known methods of improving the impact resistance and scratch resistance of polymeric systems utilize additives and fillers to improve performance. In one type of method, rubber may be added as a toughener to improve the impact resistance of a polymeric system. The addition of rubber, however, typically reduces scratch resistance. Moreover, the addition of inorganic fillers has failed to increase the scratch resistance. In another type of method, rigid polymers are blended together to improve toughness. Blending randomly chosen rigid polymers, however, usually results in blends with unpredictable properties. Moreover, known rigid-rigid polymer blends do not exhibit satisfactory toughness.
While these approaches have provided improvements over prior approaches, the challenges in the field of polymeric systems have continued to increase with demands for more effective techniques. Therefore, a need has arisen for a new method for improving the impact resistance and scratch resistance of polymeric systems.